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This subject was out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone ran more to bakery products, mascara, who was pregnant from my high school graduating class, and who was doing well on The Biggest Loser
. I searched for a change of topic and came up short.
“You must be excited about the wedding,” I finally said.
Amanda leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Can I confide in you? I’m nervous. I thought this would be the most fabulous thing. All my life I’ve dreamed about my wedding day. The gown. The walk down the aisle. The party after.”
“And now?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I love Robert, but marriage is so permanent.”
It should be permanent. That’s certainly the aspiration, but I knew firsthand it didn’t always work that way. I’d been married for about ten minutes. I was hoping for longer next time around . . . if there was a next time around.
“I guess most brides have pre-wedding jitters,” Amanda said. “I’m not even sure I did the right thing by having such an elaborate wedding. I almost wish we’d just gone off and gotten married.”
“It’ll all be great,” I said. “You’ll be a beautiful bride.”
Amanda sipped at the wine that was set in front of her. “Have you ever thought about marrying Ranger?”
“Ranger and I aren’t really a couple,” I said.
“Right,” Amanda said, rolling her eyes and smiling.
When Amanda rolled her eyes it was cute. In fact it was adorable, because Amanda was adorable. When I roll my eyes people are afraid I’ve had a seizure.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Amanda said.
“Like I’m a disaster?”
“Like he can’t take his eyes off you.”
“We’re friends,” I said. “And sometimes we work together. I don’t think Ranger is ready for a relationship.”
Amanda glanced over at him. “He’s very handsome,” she whispered.
I nodded in agreement. Ranger is drop-dead handsome.
The first course was set in front of me. Green salad with croutons and chunks of tomato. Standard fare. Not especially tempting.
Ranger was next to the bride’s mother, listening politely to her chatter. Occasionally he’d flick a glance my way but more often than not he was looking behind me, watching a waiter, scanning the room. I was doing the same, looking for someone with a dimple in his chin.
The main course was steak, vegetable medley, and mashed potatoes. I stared at the mashed potatoes and bit into my lower lip. I was hungry but not hungry enough to risk getting poisoned again.
“I have someone in the kitchen,” Ranger said from across the table. “This should be okay.”
TWENTY-THREE
IT WAS ELEVEN when we left the restaurant. Two Rangeman SUVs followed Kinsey and Amanda, and another one followed Ranger.
“Did you think he would make a move at the restaurant?” I asked Ranger.
“I thought he would try something at the church. It could be that he’s discouraged by the security force.”
“I like Amanda. It was nice to get to know her. Will she be safe for the rest of the night?”
“She’s with Kinsey. I have them back in the safe house. She should be okay.” Ranger stopped for a light and looked over at me. “Would you consider spending the night at Rangeman?”
Oh boy. Desirable for a variety of reasons, the least of which was security, but I was remembering the conversation with Amanda about marriage. And I was remembering Morelli.
